Freeeeeee to Meeeeeee &&&& What's Happenin'

First let me say that I was very calm, and did not hog.....

Went to a friend of a friend's house today and we sorted and chose fabric for about 2 1/2 hours....met some real nice folks and they permitted me to add to my stash....

These will be seen in string blocks and bow ties in the future; possibly wounded warrior and Halloween....who knows what else.

 Isn't it nice to have friends......

Next, tiny steps & long time comin'.....

Here are the choices for the next two blocks of my bug quilt,,or maybe it is a wall hanging....

Inch worm on the left and Centipede on the right.....

Hopefully I can blend in the colors okay....some bugs may be colored as never before....

 Have had this pattern ....forEver!

Size  34 1/4 x 46 1/2 inches

My first real trip into Appliqueland....will see you on the other side.......If I can get finished with this, I can tackle Anything! Starting with hopefully simple blocks and climbing up the ladder to the more complex....Hope I don't fall off!

Playing.....

I have finished sewing the plaids together to make 7 rows (if you can count 1 block each as the 1st and 7th rows).  I now need to shop my stash for the right fabric for the triangles and borders..so I am taking a break, waiting for inspiration.

In the meantime, I am playing...

I found a small phone book and decided to try my hand at some string blocks...I have been keeping strings off and on for awhile.  I cut the page down a little and just started... grabbing...

 It is now trimmed to a 6 1/2" block and the paper backing is off...

This is not a leader and ender project, just one I plan to do when I feel like it. It is fun, as many of you know...

I have done a few more L/E also..please note the plaid bow ties....

I will be playing with these two blocks for awhile today....

Just because I can.....

Come back soon.

 

Trimmed and Basted...

Jelly Roll Quilt basted, ready to HQ....

37 Four-Square Blocks ready for action...I had to trim them to 6 1/4" square instead of 6 1/2"....my sewing machine had a mind of its' own...

That's my style,  always improvising....

♫ Back in the Saddle Again ♫

I have been sewing, but away from quilting...

 I'm Baaack...!

I finished cutting my squares today for my plaid quilt and am starting to put them together.  The pile on the left are the ones I am using, the other smaller pile are my leftovers, or "just in case" ones..They are sorta in order, with cream/tan squares in between the plaid ones...Now if I can keep from spilling them I will be on a roll...

I have a couple of 4-square blocks done and draped for display...bad display, they blend in well with my string of 2-squares, but maybe you get the idea...

My leaders and enders are ready in the container in back, although I won't need them for awhile...there is plenty of continuous work with my main task.

Oh, I turned my table 90°, and have placed my two main machines on opposite sides.  Now I can sew on either one, just not at the same time....


I arranged my 3 layers of jelly roll fabric and am slowing basting...if you look close on the brown strip, bottom left corner, you'll see the thread...I usually use embroidery thread, but I was successful with regular thread on my previous quilt, and it is so much easier to baste with...Now if I can just convince my eyes......

BTW, I changed my keyboard on my computer...the older  and smaller one had keys that started sticking.  This new one has a numbered keyboard on the side...I don't use it when I am typing, I am so used to using the upper row of numbers instead.  But I now can type symbols, such as musical notes and the degree sign.  A lot of you know about this, and I did too, I just wasn't able to do it on my old keyboard...

Next.....A UFO....Really, I Found One, Probably the Only One I Had.....!!?? NOT!

The previous top has been made into a quilt.  It has been sandwiched, tied (not quilted), bound (binding the same as the back; separate piece, not turned), and mailed this morning... I forgot to take a FINISHED picture, but it turned out great!

Now I am starting to sew some non-quilty items...but to keep my hand in,,,,I found an UFO to work on...Really!  To me, a UFO is a top that has been around for awhile and one that I didn't exactly lose interest in, but just say it was easy to slide it down a few notches on the unwritten list of things I want to accomplish...

During the next few days I will cut and sew the backing to (lower fabric) fit the jelly roll top, sandwich it all together, and slowly baste it.  I may try and quilt this by machine, going along the seams.... although I could just HQ it, using a meandering design that isn't really a design....

It is still a hot/warm September here in Central Texas, but quilting this would seem to be a good winter season project...

We'll see how I feel after basting....

Had to Sidetrack the Quilting Train for an Express Run

Finished this flannel top yesterday and went to an LQS for the backing and batting today.  Will be finishing it this next week (tying it) so I can send it to its' recipient ASAP.  It will be keeping her warm during several necessary hospital visits in the near future...

Approximately 40" x 64"

Some of you might recognize the fabric from another quilt that I am Still HQing....

This may not be the last you see of this fabric combination. Whatever backing/binding fabric I have left over will be added to the remnants you see here and may be seen again in who knows what type of configuration next..

No, that white does not go on and on and on down the page....see I can type under the picture.....

Decision: Plaid Quilt - Maybe Two.....

Now that I have finished my Pinwheel Quilt...see picture further on...I have decided to tackle my plaids again..

I have so many and such variety....the only thing in common with all of them is that they are Plaid...

Big plaid, little plaid, lots of green plaid, I plan to use them all.....and probably won't even put a dent in the supply... I May want to get rid of the rest of them after I finish the (2) quilts I have in mind.  Or, I might want to wait until my eyes become uncrossed working with them first. 

And I haven't even dug into the container yet...

My first plaid quilt will be a repeat pattern that I liked and made...shown here with the first cuts.....

Don't know what the borders will look like, but the plaids will be in the middle section along with their white or light beige companions.  I thought a diagonal placement would work okay.  I plan to add one more row and make this a little bigger...it originally was about 50 x 50......Will be using my Easy Angle ruler...once I refresh my memory....

There is another pattern I have in mind.  It is on the cover of a catalog I received from Annie's....large light blocks with angled rectangles within....That is for later...if I still decide to use the plaids...

I promised myself not to start a mental list of to-do quilts....if I can help it...

Oh, the little piles to the right up above?  That is for my leader and ender bow ties.  I thought while I was cutting, I might as well cut a little more...they will be incorporated with the bow tie quilt I will Eventually make.

List, but not listing....

Now is there a conflict somewhere in the above two paragraphs????

A Finished Quilt

One you have seen in progress....

 

It is bathing as I type,,,,

Do ya'll cross your fingers and hope the quilts turn out looking okay after the first wash?  Color Catchers, of course, are in there doing their job.  I am hoping the pinwheels keep their shape and all is okay.  I'll pass this through the dryer very quickly so as not to drip and will lay it out to air dry after that.  Then into a box and away it goes...

 

Confessions of a Undisciplined Stash Hoarder

Situation:

I realize all quilters are hoarders in one degree or another.....it goes with the territory and is necessary.  We need the thrill of digging and finding fabric we forgot we had...

But when you dig and dig and dig, you eventually and inevitably end up with a mixture of colors, patterns, and styles that just don't go together....
 
When that happens, I often give up on "stash looking" and start buying fabric for whatever project I am contemplating...

A vicious circle...and Expensive!

Not only in fabric but containers as well....

 I admit to saving all the smaller pieces for future use in who knows what project, as well as taking advantage of free fabric from quilters who know their limitations in time and energy.
 
This is not new...I was aware of it before...remember my Mini-Giveaways in the past???...

 I have had an awakening this last week...never mind the details..

Fact of life and no Kidding:  I'm 73 (almost 74) years of age and most of this treasure in cloth will never be used by "moi".  I shouldn't be so Greedy!...

Conclusion:

I probably will continue to buy cloth...however...I have decided to Really Try and use what I have...

To no longer think of the recipient first then the quilt....Instead, I will make the quilt, or several, and then let the recipient choose which one is wanted.  This will allow me to pick freely any color combinations, styles, and patterns I want...

I will be free to try new things without constraints.....if no one wants the result, the charity/comfort/donated quilt pile grows...

This is not only saving money, but maybe in a couple of years, I will be able to tame this Mess on Shelves (aka: stash) to a slight degree.

First couple of ideas.....another plaid quilt And ....see the fabric..a Pink/Tan quilt.

Or....maybe I'll just take a container at a time and see what develops.....

I see a future of flurry of fabric flying freely ......(had to type this)...

Thanks for dropping by....

Border Change!

This is SO Much Better!

Softer, not so demanding, all in all, a better look than the last post.

Finished Top - Pinwheels

Size ~~ 32 x 49

8" blocks finished

Ya' know,,,,for a new block experience, these pinwheels were actually somewhat easy to make....a bit tedious while lining up the edges for the seam, but otherwise OK.  

Of course, I only made 8 of them..and my trusty 50+ yo Singer sewed through all the bulk!

Each pinwheel seam is double sewed....one when I attached the wing to each block and one when I attached the blocks together...I changed my stitch length to smaller so there would be holding power.

I am pleased with the color combo....

I taking this along tomorrow when I head to Giddings, Texas (about 2 hrs away) with my quilt group to Gerline's, a lovely quilt shop there. If time allows, we might even go to the other local LQS, Around the Block, which is in town. The thick seams need to nestle into the batting the best they can so it can be used as a quilt if desired...

Also, Really, I am happy with the colors, but look at the outer border...it does bring out the green in the blocks, but I am thinking some other fabric would look better....So I am keeping an open mind and an eye out. If I don't, I will always wonder.... It wouldn't take long to change.

Thanks for droppin' by........

Pinwheels Spinnin'

There was a stack of fabric on my shelves for who knows how long.  Almost every time I looked at them I thought to myself that I had to make Something out of them soon...they were tugging at me.

The chance came.....after tweaking the pile with some additions from a recent LQS trip, these will be joining their com-padres in a  baby quilt.

 I have all but one pinwheel block done (finished size 8") ...4 each....and will soon decide which one will be my 5th wheel,,,,,so to speak....have to see how they look when laid out.

Because of the thickness of the pinwheels, I plan to tie this quilt, using all 6 strands of embroidery thread....short strings....probably will tack each of the folded corners + a few other places....

Yes, there will be borders...

 

New Month, New Projects, and.....Finally! Progress on a Long Time Waiting....

Welcome August!

A LQS trip yesterday resulted in finding the necessary fabric to complete my stash hunt for this next project....

This will have to be a quickie...kinda..... and I will use, in part, these luscious looking goodies...

Peach and "Suede" colors.....makes me think of ice cream.....

At the same time, I am starting another Leader/Ender project....If you remember, I have also started a tumbler stash using my Go Baby...

I have a long way to go before I am ready to use these, ,,,

so I am kitting up some blocks and will be making bow ties out of some scraps and use them as my L/E project in the meantime... no, they aren't sewn yet....

Hopefully the bow ties won't become untied.

This is only about 12 blocks/to/be....and there is still so much of the same fabric left! I have only semi-small remnants and I could have made oodles more...I still am keeping what is left for something else....

Hopefully I won't be overrun by L/E projects instead of main ones....

Talking about a Main Project,,,,look here......

Yes, it has started!  the sewing machine saga has reached another chapter!  My DH is measuring the foam box so it can be smaller (and hopefully less $$ to send) and still protect the machine.  Won't go into detail, but he is going to cut out the excess space and "slide" the other edge next to the machine.  Oh, it is upside down now because the cover is on it and the latches bite into the foam a little.  It was easier and less messy than if we pushed the machine right side up all the way down into the box...we will be labeling the box "This Side Up."

Maybe we can send it soon.....

See Ya...

Wash Day Stars --------DONE!....

The top, that is.....

Measuring ~~~~ 94 x 108 inches......

And laid out on a double bed,.....edges folded up to show border.........

.....and a closeup.....

It should cover the bed nicely.  IF,,,,and this time I say, IF...... I HQ it, the pattern probably will be just straight lines, sewing a little out of the ditch on at least one side of each seam.....maybe hopping over squares to continue with star seams.

Binding will probably be in yellow also....that is a fer distance away yet......

One More Pillowcase - er, Quiltcase....

Picked up an orphan block from our quilting group and combined it with a pillowcase...

I zigzaged it onto the fabric before I sewed the cuff on. 

I'll be taking the pillowcases to the group next Monday.  

Now to start on my short (Ha!) list of quilt tops I want to make.........

Pillowcases - the Easy Way

Believe it or not, I have not sewn very many pillowcases.... it takes me awhile to home in on the easy stuff....

This site and this other site helped me a lot.  This is nothing new,,,The idea is more than 3 years old....but I am linking it because there may be some "newbies" out there....or "oldies" like I am.  As they say,

Everything is new to someone who is experiencing it for the first time.....

These will be used to hold the Wounded Warrior quilts our group have decided to make on an ongoing basis.  After 5 or 6 quilts are made, they will be sent to our contact in San Antonio to be distributed as they see fit...and then we start on 5 or 6 more...etc...We are a small group, but feel we can handle this okay....

Since I have other commitments right now (baby/niece/etc), I know I will not be getting to the WW quilt soon, so I opted to making a few pillowcases for the ones others are working on...

I don't know why it has taken me so long to learn such an easy way to make them!  

Borders.....and to Solve an Irritation......

I just finished the main body of my quilt....all 23 rows of 19 blocks each.

Only have the 3 borders to work on, one set of which I have put together and the other two borders comprising only 1 1/2" wide strips of fabric I have yet to pick. 

Time to think about the next thing to do....

My Singer 503 has behaved beautifully..... still quiet and sturdy....

Except...

The original spindle size is too small for the spools of thread these days.  They are long enough so the spools won't bounce off, but they do bounce....and make noise...

Also, the holes in the spools are too wide for the spindles, and they shimmy and shake.  Sometimes I feel like I am making music for wild jitterbug dancers....

Understand, I can live with this....when the spools are full, they don't move around too much....but I do like to hear the sweet hum of the machine as I sew, and that "ain't gonna happen" as it stands now...

Other than bypassing the spindles altogether and using an off-the-machine holder for my thread, does anyone have a suggestion of something I might be able to use as a spacer? 

Anyone?  Anyone? 

(ie: Ferris Bueller)

Repeat and Repeat and Repeat - Over and Over and Over - That's What Makes a Quilt

I came to the conclusion a long time ago.....Making a quilt is a mixture of mindless repetition and stimulating activity.....

It makes your mind work and also gives it a time to rest. You can be lulled into automation and then awakened........

Well, you get the idea....

I am now to the point of  "Will I EVER get finished with this thing!?"

No, I don't mean....well, maybe I do mean... the packing laid out for that sewing machine for my sister in the background..... (sigh)

I'm not finished,,,,,,yet,,,,,,,but I only have 4 more rows to do....No, not those 4 bundles,,,,those will be one of the 3 borders around the quilt.  

BTW , aren't those clips cute!  Got several packages of 4 each from Harbor Freight...they are hard plastic, hold well, easy on the fabric and big enough to hold bunches...and they are easy to see in amongst a pile of stuff!

I am pinning together the last of my blocks from these...

There are slight variations in the piles....I have gotten to the point that all the 4 square blocks kinda blend in together anyway....

 This project is also ongoing....

  I am still not sure how I will sew the 9 patches so I am stalling by starting on the bunnies....sewing around them several times.... what's that called,,,,,,echoing, shadowing, ?????

See ya.....

Wash Day Stars - Ongoing

I finally have gotten back to my sewing after a great while...

I'm using my bed to lay out the finished/unfinished rows.  Rows 1-15 are together; rows 16-19 are being laid out here; rows 20-23 yet to do, then 3 borders.

Since I have been back, my sewing as suffered, as I mentioned...just other things to do.

...My DH had cataract surgery and he is up and running now; I had to drive him everywhere!

 my house needed TLC when I got back....actually DH kept it nice and neat...just needed a lot of tweaking; 

...A lot of visiting;

...A lot of resting after trip;

...Yard work

One of the loads we took to the back pasture...trimmed trees, cleaned and clipped brush from fence, and vines from this... it still runs, FYI.

BEFORE

AFTER

And guess when we did the yard work?   The week it was  HOT HOT HOT

It hit 104 & 105.......We were in and out during the several days we worked and did most of  it was after 8:00pm when it cooled down to about 85 or 90....

Stranger in Town.....

I feel as if I am a Stranger here....haven't blogged in such a long time...

That being said, here are some pictures....

This is my grandmother's Singer 500.  It has built in stitches.. the large knob has letters on one side and numbers on the other.  The manual matches the decorative stitch with the correct number/letter.  It works like a charm.  This can still use the different cams as well, the space for them is under the lid. 

Behind the machine is the cover...These are hard to find...This one actually still works...it can latch down to it's partner on the machine and can turn this into a "portable" machine...Of course, the machine weighs about 20-25 pounds, but it is portable...

I am sending this to my sister in NH.  I waited until summer when the polyfoam ice chests arrived.  If I angle the machine toward the corners, it will fit in there comfortably with enough space for the manual, foot pedal, various original tools, and extra attachments for it. Oh, and the handle comes off the cover, so that will be there also. 

The lips were in the baggie with the tools...  who knows....

Of course, after I pad and push and pack the ice chest, it will go into another box and I will be putting spacers, padding etc in that also.  Hopefully, it will get to her okay.  Won't be because of not trying...

The machine works like a charm, BTW.  

Also, I still have and am working with my mother's Singer 503 slant machine...so I am not sacrificing at all....

The Housekeeping Part of Quilting

Since I didn't use my Go Baby while on the trip, I am using it now, before I get too involved with my ongoing projects...

I have already outgrown the small temporary container for my 2 1/2" strips and 3 1/2" tumblers.  I plan to make some rectangles and squares also.  I have a lot of ziplock bags stuffed with "possibles" and am trying to go through them..

I spilled out a couple on the floor for effect...

Honestly, this is the first time I have used my Baby to this degree since I got it, so I really haven't decided which dies to concentrate on...I am trying to make as many strips as I can.  I have some larger dies (HSTs), but want to concentrate on some of the smaller dimensions for now.

I chose the tumbler die because I haven't made a quilt using them before...hopefully I will have a variety of colors to choose from when I am ready....

Looking at the above picture......It Really is a Mess, isn't it!

Quick Update....Made it Back...& Made a Quilt....

I'm back from my trip to help with the grandchildren....

My plans regarding all the sewing etc....?  Tried, and they were interested, but too many things to do, new baby to get used to, etc....

I did do something however... on the first weekend there, my DDIL and I went to Walmart so I could pick up some odds and ends...embroidery needles, etc...

We picked out some fabric to go along with some FQs I brought, and while she was in the hospital, made a quickie, one piece w/border, no binding, flipped right side out and sewn edge, quilt. All with the children's help (some sewing, some watching little people, some holding strands of embroidery thread while I separated them, and the oldest cutting and tieing the quilt after I had anchored the thread.  We had it ready and in the porta-crib when Mercy Adele came home...

The Back....

An Unexpected Surprise and a Had To Stop and Tell Moment

Yes, I am still leaving (tomorrow)...car is almost packed, thanks to DH and everything is ready to go.

At the last minute, I decided to give my DS & DDIL some of Mother's Christmas ribbon and other things. I was going through it, taking out the breakable ornaments, and ran across a couple of items, one of which I thought was lost forever!

These are staying here,,,,,well, maybe one will go for a "show and tell"....

She loved wind-up toys.. I laid this one down for a better perspective...it still works..wind it up, turn the  switch (at the top, unseen) and the needle still goes up and down...Best ever!

The other thing is a puzzle my Grandfather showed me when I was real young, pre-teen...Yes, you can find the solution on the internet now, but it was back in the 40s when I saw this the first time....and what was so great was that he had crafted the pieces out of metal himself (he and my grandmother worked with metal and rivets at a local Naval Base during War II.)

Make a block out of these 4 pieces (sorry, they are still as they came out of the plastic bag, I need to clean them a little)

That was easy.

NOW,,,,,,

adding another piece, make a square out of these 5 pieces..

.

How cool is that!

Notice, I did not show you the solution. 

See you in a few weeks.....

No Picture Post - Traveling Again..

Just touching base with everyone....I am driving North to KY later this week to care for my GC.  Their sister will arrive soon and my son and wife need a little help during her first week there.  I am not sure when I will return, but know that it will be somewhere early mid month of May.  I'll be out of pocket, but hope to have some pictures when I get back.  I'm taking two sewing machines, my Featherweight and my Janome, along with scraps,  Go Baby/dies, a few fat quarters, and other items...hopefully, I can introduce sewing to the older children, 4 boys and 1 girl, ... Need to figure out how to keep the youngest 2 busy...

Now if I can just remember my camera....

Motel Sew-In - Part II

I started with the basics...laid out some of the blocks too see the beginnings of the design....I had finger pressed the seams which didn't seem to do much good.  I decided to use my little iron on all. That would help in the trimming.

The motel had an iron and ironing board, but it was big and cumbersome.  I used my little travel iron and the ironing pad I made from a wooden cheese board a while back.

One nice thing....I had a big king size bed to lay the rows out as I decided which ones go where and what blocks I needed.  That I don't have in my room at home.  It was lovely!  I even considered leaving them there at the foot of the bed and sleeping crossways above them, but decided that was a bit much....

This was the night I watched/listened to 3 good movies on TV as I stitched until 2 in the morning....

Of course, these circles kinda caught my eye.  They do fight for attention in the picture also...a band of circles on the end of the bed....

But I finished 3 rows of 38 squares  each.  A good start on a top. 

Finally, I saved the HSTs I cut off the corners in hopes I can use them later on something else..I will have a Million of them when I finish!